Manitoba’s Progressive Conservatives have installed a counter on their website that provides a running total.

As of this morning, more than $2.6 million in additional retail sales tax revenue had been collected since the PST was raised to eight per cent from seven per cent on Canada Day.

PC Leader Brian Pallister announced the PST counter this morning. It’s also available on the party’s PC caucus and Stand up Manitoba! websites.

On Tuesday, the Conservatives announced they would mount a legal challenge to Bill 20, the legislation that enables the government to collect the tax without holding a provincial referendum.

Today’s announcement is part of a PC strategy to keep the tax hike in the minds of Manitoba voters.

"The illegal PST hike is not a small amount of money. It’s more than $5 million a week that is coming out of the pockets of working Manitobans, retired Manitobans and struggling small businesses. And it is going to the coffers of the provincial government," Pallister said.

He said the NDP appears to be relying on Manitobans to forget about the tax hike come the next provincial election, slated for the fall of 2015 or spring of 2016.

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